Once upon a time on a snowy mountain, people were still happily freezing their asses, and monks were still shocked.
Funnily enough, the temporary emergency shelter and rations were far more luxurious than anything else they had ever experienced. It was such a stark contrast that they didn't seem to miss their monastery one bit!
Many kept glancing at the elder, expecting him to veto all of it, but he seemed lost in thoughts nowadays. At times, he'd look toward the outside world and in Josh's direction at others.
Talking with the young man had brought back so many memories, and he would often find himself sighing. As usual, he was really the only one keeping his cool while the others kept exclaiming.
The first time they visited the Battle Ship, they made the soldiers beam with pride. Never had they seen anyone so interested in their vessel!
The monks kept going:
"Wow!"
"Amazing!"
"That's so awesome!"
"Could you imagine living here?!"
"This ship is even better than a palace!"
"Is that one of those legendary coffee makers?!"
Heck, they were shocked even by the banal stuff! In the background, the unlucky monk couldn't help but feel pity for them. Damn, how long hadn't they gone down the mountain?!
It almost seemed like they had regressed to the olden days, only to come into contact with the future!
They were also so freaking impressed by the Climbers. No matter the skill used before them, they would always go:
"That's so cool!"
"Teach me how to do it!"
One guy even had a curse that made enemies fart non-stop and super loudly for some obscure reason. People had always made fun of him for it, but the monks were freaking clapping with stars in their eyes!
But there was one thing in particular that rendered them speechless.
When Bob learned that it could take weeks to learn the scriptures, he decided to show some initiative and start the construction.
As for how to do it, he simply asked the monks what they had before and how they thought it could be remade better.
A Climber was asking for their input?! Not just one to boot, but an entire crew! At that moment, they felt like bigshots!
"Really?!"
"We can really decide?!"
"You mean we can request stuff?!"
A merchant in the background chuckled as he saw them acting so excited.
It had only been a day since his arrival, but he had changed drastically. The luxurious rings at his fingers were long gone, and he looked far more approachable. This was all because of the crew and soldiers!
The more they told him about the D.L. school, the more he felt foolish for being so arrogant earlier. They described a school where Rankers and regular Climbers messed around daily.
While becoming a student was expensive, it was possible to visit the village itself for a cheap fee or even for people to get a loan. Thus it created a melting pot with people of all backgrounds and powers.
Just hearing the stories had stripped the merchant of his ego. He was now happily rejoicing for the monks.
"What's the point of giving someone a gift if one isn't thoughtful? Just roll with it and tell them what you desire." He chuckled.
What followed was one cacophonous conversation:
"Can we get actual beds?! The kind that isn't stone!"
"What about a room to put the scriptures in?!"
"What if we had a place to….eat!!!"
"That would be so great!"
The more they talked and the more sympathetic the surrounding gazes became. What kind of life had they lived before this?!
But then they suddenly froze as they glanced at the elder, coming back to their senses.
"Ah, actually, our faith doesn't allow such luxury."
"Yes, let's keep it very simple instead."
"Simple is best."
They all nodded with determination. They were weak-willed, but not that much! If it meant never achieving their goals, then it wasn't worth it! They all agreed one after the other.
The elder by the side couldn't help but sigh, looking at them with pity. The truth was that the scriptures had never mentioned anything like that.
It was simply that in recent years, their monastery was becoming poorer and poorer. It wasn't that he didn't want to give them better living conditions; he just hadn't been able to!
Many times he had looked into ways to make money, but there were so many issues:
1. They had always created talismans to get revenue, but with every passing day, people cared less about such a thing. After all, authentic magical crafters existed.
2. His plan to open branch temples in surroundings areas had unexpectedly hit some walls.
3. They really were in a remote location.
4. None of them had work experience.
The last one was a little shameful, but most of them had never worked a real job in their lives. It made looking for employment hard, especially with U-Bots getting more popular.
In conclusion, they were Hella broke! That's also why the elder had added "voluntarily simplicity" to the scriptures so that it would be easier for them to cope.
But he wouldn't let the opportunity to give them a better life slip by!
"Actually, as long as it's nothing too extravagant, it will be fine." He added. Never had monks' eyes shone that brightly.
That's how the construction soon officially began.
The construction crew was just done with the initial structure when they had suddenly received a message straight from Josh! They'd pass the instructions around while gasping loudly.
"What?!"
"Are you kidding me?!"
"He wants us to build that?!"
"There's no way we have to skill!"
The merchant on the side couldn't help but stare in shock. There was something that these guys couldn't do?! It had to be an arduous task then knowing how good they were!
But every time anyone would ask for more information, they would just shake their heads and utter: "Can't say."
This was so infuriating! Curiosity was killing the merchant! It became even worse when he heard them mumble at some point:
"Are we really going to build that?"
"I mean, that's part of our job…."
"Yes, but is it even legal?"
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"Who knows…."
Wait, what?! Legal?! How the hell had the conversation reached such a topic?! But later on, he understood as vessels appeared.
This time they were from Universal Tech. The merchant felt that his prediction about the mountain filling up would realize itself.
At first, he was confused. What were they doing there? But then he had the shock of his life as he saw them unload flying ship parts, handing them to the construction crew. Oh god!
Many had an inkling of what would happen, but the monks were left entirely in the dark. Every time one would ask, he would be told that it was a surprise. They'd obediently accept that answer too.
Thus the new monastery was soon completed— if it could be called a monastery. Let's just say it had way too many rooms that really shouldn't have been in one!
It had taken them four days to do it in total, which was a pretty darn good time! Once finished, they all returned to drinking hot-coco and eating potatoes by the campfire as the Universal Tech people returned home.
Now all that remained was to wait for Josh. As for how long that would be, no one knew. Still, the elder shared his predictions:
"Legends say the fastest man to learn the technique took a month to reach rank 4. Afterward, he left to explore the world and comprehended the fifth rank in a year! He was a legendary genius!"
"Elder, how long do you think it will take him then? For that Rank 4, I mean," The merchant respectfully asked.
"This may be preposterous of me, but I think he could do it in a month too!" The elder solemnly declared.
The surroundings monks all exclaimed in shock.
"A-a month?! Only a month?!"
"I've been here for two years already, and I'm rank 2!"
"That's already not bad! I've been here for 5, and I'm still Rank 1!"
They all seemed to think that this was one crazy evaluation, all but one. On the side, the unlucky monk was giggling.
"Please, I'm sure he'll come back any minute now, and he'll already be Rank 5. Just watch!" He predicted, making the others laugh.
"Pfft— As if that was possible!"
"This is not just talented, but freaking godly!"
"Just memorizing the scriptures will take longer!"
"Yeah, there's no way that....oh god. Are you kidding me?!"
Following that monk's shout, they turned around, only to see Josh casually coming over.
"Hey, guys. So, how are things." He gently waved, grabbing a cup of hot-coco for himself.
"M-mister Josh?! W-what brings you here?!" A shaking monk asked.
"Can't I come over to drink some hot-coco?" He raised a brow, confused.
"Ah! So you're here for a break! Of course, it makes sense, hahaha!" He was laughing in relief.
"So, how was it? Did you have any achievement?" The elder couldn't help but inquire.
"Somewhat, but I'm not sure myself how far I've come. I've kinda deviated from the scriptures." Josh admitted.
Deviated? What did that even mean? Many were confused. He wasn't calling it a mistake either.
"How about you emit the Serene Tranquility Aura for an instant?" The elder proposed.
This aura was automatically emitted as soon as one actively practiced the technique. It somewhat made it possible to judge one's mastery.
Josh nodded as he instantly complied, not even pausing. He didn't close his eyes, nor did he stop to focus. He just used the technique.
It was as if his entire being had suddenly become incredibly profound. Just looking at him gave the feeling that he was an immortal being that had comprehended the mysteries of life itself.
As for whether that was only an illusion or real, it was hard to tell.
But, one thing for sure was that the monks were all staring at the man in awe. All of the disciples realized that his achievements in these four days had exceeded their own after years!
They turned toward the elder to get more details, only to jump in shock. The elder looked as if he had seen a revenant. He had already jumped to his feet, was trembling all over, and was even shouting madly.
"H-how?! H-how is this possible?! How did you do it?!" He kept asking.
At that moment, the people were all flabbergasted. All except the unlucky monk that began guffawing so loudly that he almost caused an avalanche!
"Hahahahah! Oh my fucking god! As expected of you, Teacher!! This is priceless!!!"
This only confused them even more. What were they all missing?! That's when the elder finally spoke again, enlightening them.
"How did you do it?! How did you Reach Rank 6?!" He asked, pleading. He had to know!
The monks' eyes bulged as they heard this. Rank 6?! Why had the elder never said anything about it?! What the fuck was happening?! They couldn't believe it!
"Rank 6? I didn't know there was a Rank 6…." Josh was also confused.
"There wasn't, but there is now. This….I can barely believe it myself, but I'm sure of it! You created another level." He solemnly declared.
What the fuck?! He had come to learn their scriptures and had not only mastered it fully but even added a section to it?! What kind of madness was this?! Everyone was speechless.
"Since you created it, you have the right to name it. Please, let us hear it!" The elder begged.
"Is that so? Let me see, I diligently tried learning the stages, but then I felt it didn't fit me…."
"I'll call this new stage True Serenity."
1. Achieve serenity with the silence
2. Achieve serenity with the notes
3. Achieve serenity with the others
4. Achieve serenity with oneself
5. Achieve serenity with the world
6. True Serenity —NEW!!!—
"True Serenity, is it? How is it achieved?" They all opened their ears wide.
"Well, it's pretty simple. I reused all the previous elements but also kinda rejected them. No matter what happens, one needs to be serene! I even made a mantra for it."
"Really?!"
"Yes! It goes: I'll be serene no matter what. Fuck the silence. Fuck the noise. Fuck everyone. And fuck the world!"
"…."
"…."
"…."
"…."
"Pretty simple, right? Now, how about you show me the new monastery?" Josh was smiling brightly...